The Marine Silk Road Museum housing an 800-year-old merchant boat named Nanhai No. 1 starts trial operation on Wednesday.

Visitors who are interested in the history of China's Marine Silk Road as well as underwater archaeology will see priceless relics dating back to the 12th century or China's Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) at the brand-new museum.

Between December 2 and December 18, as many as 3,000 visitors will be allowed entry to the museum every day. They can also enjoy half price tickets at 40 yuan (about $6).

The museum, located on the Hailing Island of Yangjiang, a costal city in southern China's Guangdong province, will formally open to the public by the end of this year, according to a report by China News Agency. By then, more visitors will be permitted to enter the museum, says the report.

Nanhai No.1, literally the South Sea No. 1, at 30.4 meters long and 9.8 meters wide, is a sunken wooden ship discovered in 1987 off the coast of Yangjiang city. It has been recognized as the world's oldest and biggest merchant boat sunk at sea.

Experts widely believe that it is an important piece of evidence confirming the existence of the Marine Silk Road, an ancient maritime trade route linking China and the West.

After the ship was successfully dragged out of the sea on December 28, 2007, the local government earmarked 200 million yuan (approximately $29 million) in building the Marine Silk Road Museum to preserve the salvaged vessel.

Now, the ancient ship is housed in a large pool at a hall named Crystal Palace in the museum in order to better preserve valuable relics such as porcelain, copper coins and gold containers, which have been soaked in the sea for hundreds of years.

Archaeology fans will have rare opportunity to witness onsite excavation of the ship, which is expected to last for years, through two underwater corridors made of glass along the pool since it is the first one of its kind in China and Asia as a whole.

(CRIENGLISH.com December 2, 2009)